Suction-blower for street-cleaners.



R. WLFURNAS, DECD. F. A. a L. r. HAMILTON, EXECUTORS.

SUCTION BLOWER FOR STREET CLEANERS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25, I915- Patented June 12, 1.917.

WITNESSES:

ROBERT W. FUBLTAS, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA;

FRANK A. HAMILTON A3115 LELIA F.

HAMILTON EXECU'I'ORS 0F SAID ROBERT W. FURNAS, DECEASED.

sucrron-ntowna non eraser-ornaments.

ineeatea To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT F RNAS, a citizen-0f the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Suction-Biowe'r for Street-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification, reference being'hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention-relates to a suction-blower or exhaust-fan which, while being of special advantage as an element of apneumatic street-cleaner, may be advantageously used for various purposes, the invention having reference more particularly to the fan-house or case of the structure and to the fan or rotary element of the structure.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved suction-blower that shall be very powerful without requiring an exceedingly large rotary element. Another object is to 1 provide a suction-blower which shall be especially qualified, in connection with a pneumatic street cleaner, to properly force air into a relatively large gathering-hood or chamber and exert great power in drawing the air from the gathering-hood through a separator or dust-arrester. A further object is to provide a suction-blower of such construction as to be capable of discharging two currents of air, one relatively smaller than the other. A still further object is to provide a powerful suction-blower of such construction as to be capable of beingoperated "without creating annoying noise, more particularly when combined in a pneumatic street-cleaner machine, and be durable and economical in use.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction in a fan-house or case and in a rotary fan structure, and also in the parts, and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter particularly described andfurther defined in the accompanying claims.

Referring to the drawings,-Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a pneumatic streetcleaning machine in which the invention is incorporated as illustrating one of the principal purposes of the invention Fig. 1s a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the improvement in the fan structure; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the improved sue: :tion-blower on an approximately central form, a steam-boiler 3 Specification of Letters Patent. p m e fl r 12 11917, Application filed. October 25, 1915. Sei'iel'lto. 57,731.

ent figures of the drawings indicate like elements or features of construction herein referred to. 1 s

The principal elements of the pneumatic street-cleaning machine, in which the inventlon is most advantageously embodied, comprises ,a suitable platform I mounted on wheels, a separator or dust-arrester 2 mounted upon the rearward mounted upon the platform forward of the separator, a steamengme 4 mounted uponthe forward portion of the platform and having a driving-pulley 5, and a gathering-hood 6 having a contractible or extensible air-box 7 that is connected to a frame 8 carried by the under portion of the platform. The gathering-hood is designed to operate over and clean a. vei'y broad strip of street surface as the machine moves forward, a requisite to the successful operation of the machine being that air in large volume be slowly forced into the gathering-hood and rapidly drawn "therefrom laden with dust and dirt and into the separator where the dust and dirt are separated from the air to permit the air to be used over again repeatedly.

The suction-blower is mounted upon the platform 1' above the-gathering-hood and practically connected with the frame 8, the fan-house or case of the suction-blower being very large and having an open bottom which permits free flow of the air. from the fan-house to the air-box.

The fan-house or case of the improved suction-blower comprises a base portion 9 on which are large side members 10 and 11 to the tops of which a roof 12 is connected, and relatively narrow end members 13 and 14 connected to the side members and the roof member, the end member 14 preferably having an inwardly extending slantingportion 15 connected to the base portion 9. Preferably the end member 14 1s provided with a door 16.

In order to prevent objectionable noise arising from the operation of the rotary fan that might be annoying to the residents of the streets, thefan-house sides, ends and top are straight or fiatand the side member 10 portion of the plat-' is provided on its inner side with a fillinglayer 17 of felt or other suitable non-conductor of sound and on the inner side of which is placed a lining 18 composed preferably of wood that acts also as a sound-arrestei' and protects the filling-layer from being injured or worn away by passing dust or dirt. The inner side of the member 11 has a similar filling-layer 19 and a. protecting lining 20 on its inner side. The underside of the roof 12 has a filling-layer 21 and a protecting lining 22 on its inner or under side. The end member 13 has a filling-layer 23 and a protecting lining 24 on its innerside. The end member 14 has a similar filling-layer 25 and a protecting lining 26 on its inner side, the portion 15 having a filling-layer 27 and a 1 protecting lining 28 on its inner side, the

door 16 having a filling-layer 29 and a protecting lining 30 on its inner side. 7

A pipe or conduit 31 is connected with the separator 2 and also with the rear side member 11 of the fan-house relatively closer to the end 14than to the end 13, and preferably nearer to the bottom than to the top of the fan-house. A shaft 32 is rotatably supported by suitable means, such as the side members 10 and 11 so as to be on'the axis of the adjacent portion of the pipe or conduit 31 and it has a'hub 33 secured thereto within the fan-house. A suitable number of arms 34, 35, are secured to the hub and extend radially therefrom, and fan blades 36, 37,-are secured to the arms respectively. An annular side plate 38 is secured to the fan blades near the outer portion of one side thereof,

being arranged adjacent to the lining 20 and extending outward'and away from the lining or side member of the fan house, the fan blades having oblique-angled side portions. A corresponding side plate 39 is secured to the outer portion of the='opposite side edges of the fan blades and extends outward and away from the lining 18 or side member 10.

The fan blades extend inward toward'the hub from the inner edges of the side plates 38 and 39. Other fan blades 40, 41, that are relatively narrow are secured to the side plates 38 an 39 adjacent to the inner portions thereof. The side plates 38 and 39 extend outward beyond the fan blades so as to constitute extension sides 42 and 43 that converge each toward the other, in order that the air drawn in through the pipe 31 and forced into the fan-house by the fan blades shall be slightly condensed or compressed as the air escapes beyond the fan blades, resultin in the air being ejected with considerab e force from between the extensions to be expanded in the capacious interiorof the fan-house, in which air currents are maintainedas a result of the high velocity acquired. by the air in passing from the fan blades. Preferably a Web 44 extends from the side plate 39 to the shaft32 to prevent the escape of air between the side plate 39 and the lining 18 orside of the fan-house.

In order to utilize a portion of the air under pressure in the fan-house, as for blowing the fire in the furnace of the steam-boiler 3, a conduit is connected with the lower portion of the fan-house and preferably comprises a bottom 45, a top 46, opposite sides 47 and 48 connected to the bottom and the top, and a head 49 connected to the bottom and sides and also with the front side member 10 or its lining 18, the top 46 being connected with the rear side member 11. The side 47 extends upward in contact with the, inner sides of the linings 18 and 20 and has a curved portion 50 that extends upward opposite and eccentrically to the extensions 42 and 43 and gradually 'over toward the extensions, as a partitional wall in the fanhouse, the upper portion 51 of which is rela tively closer to the. side extensions, so that the partitional wall or .plate performs the function of a guiding deflector forward of the exhaust-fan to. receive some of the air from the fan and conduct it downward and outward under the side of the fan-house, the side 48 of the conduit through which the air escapes'having an upward extension 52 that forms a partition in the fan-house below the rearward portion of the exhaust-fan, the partition preferably having a curved lip 53 that extends upward and close to the side extensions 42 and 43 tocomplete the air-channel for the relatively small current of air, the larger volume of air, however, being refleived into the larger portion of the fanouse.

The exhaust-fan is suitably rotated, as bymeans of-ab'evel gear wheel 54 secured to the shaft 32 and drlven by a bevel gear wheel 55 secured to a shaft 56 mounted on the front side member 10 of the fan-house, the shaft having a pulley 57 secured thereto that is ,driven by a belt 58 and the driving-pulley 5 rapidly moving fan blades and slightly contracted in volume by the converging side plates 38 and139 andv their extensions 42 and 43; the air being forced at high velocity into the capacious interior of the fan-house and slowly out through the bottom of the latter and into the gathering-hood 6 through the large air-box 7, a small proportion of the air being deflected-by the partitional deflector 50 to the conduit below the fan-house.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. 'A suction-blower including a fan-house having an open bottom, and a fan structure mamas rotatably mounted in the fan-house relatively near to the open bottom thereof and comprising a plurality of radial arms, fan blades secured to the arms respectively, and two side plates secured to opposite sidesrespectively of the fan blades. a

2. A suction-blower including a fan-house having an open bottom, and a fan structure rotatably mounted in the fan-house relatively near to the open bottom thereof, comprising a plurality of radial arms, fan blades secured to the arms respectively, two side plates secured to opposite sides respectively of the fan blades and having'each an outer portion that extends outward and convergently each toward the other beyond the ends of the fan blades and a conduit extending from the outer portions of the side plates and through the open bottom of the fanhouse 7 3. A suction-blower including a fan-house comprising sides and ends and also a roof, 2.

fan structure rotatably mounted between the sides of the fan-house and comprising fan blades and also two side plates secured to opposite sides respectively and extending outward beyond the outer ends of the fan blades, and a conduit connected with the lower portion of the fan-house and having two side portions that extend upward into the fan-house in contact with the sides thereof and approximately to opposite portions respectively of the two side plates of the fan structure.

4. In a suction-blower, the combination of a fan-house comprising two sides and two ends and also a roof, a fan structure rotatably supported to operate in the fan-house and comprising radial blades and two annular side plates secured to opposite sides respectively of the blades, each side plate extending outward beyond the outer ends of the blades, a conduit connected with the lower portions of the two sides of the fanhouse, a partition in the fan-house between one end thereof and the fan structure and connected to one side of the conduit, the partition being curved and positioned eccentrically to the side plates, the upper portion of the partition extending over approximately to the side plates, and a second partition in the fan-house connected to the opposite side of the conduit ward approximately to the side plates. 7 In testimony whereof, aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT W. FURNAS. Witnesses:

EMMA SHERMAN, DUDLEY A. Con.

and extending up- 

